Job Discrimination
As a general matter, illegal job discrimination occurs when an employee is singled out as a member of a protected category. It is illegal under federal and Tennessee laws, to discriminate based on a worker's:
- Age (over 40)
- Disability
- Race or color
- National origin
- Gender/Sex
- Religion
The discrimination may be in the form of:
- Hiring practices (qualified black candidates are not considered)
- Uneven pay (a man earns more than female employees with the same experience)
- Undesirable assignments (a Hispanic worker routinely gets the worst duties)
- Uneven discipline (a white worker gets less punishment than his Asian co-worker for the
- same incident)
- Failure to promote (an older worker with the company for 20 years loses a supervisor
- opening to an inexperienced college graduate)
- Failure to accommodate a worker's disability or religious beliefs
- Harassment based on sex, age, race, disability, religion or country of origin
- Retaliation (a worker is demoted after reporting safety violations)
- Termination (a woman is fired for taking maternity leave)
Compensation for Employment Discrimination
Victims of job discrimination may be entitled to various damages, including reinstatement or promotion, lost wages, compensatory damages (defamation, mental anguish), punitive damages and attorney fees. The Becker Law Firm has represented both employees and employers in discrimination claims. For either side, I have learned over the course of years that either prosecuting or defending these cases can get expensive and it often makes sense to try and reach a fair resolution early in the case. However, if the other side is not willing to talk in good faith, I have also learned that sometimes you have to litigate a case and in those cases I do not hesitate to litigate to protect my client’s rights. In every case, the first priority of the Becker Law Firm is the protection of our client’s rights.
An experienced trial lawyer, I have both brought successful lawsuits and successfully defended lawsuits under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and other federal and state laws protecting the rights of workers. I have represented clients in state and federal trial and appellate courts, and in proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the U.S. Department of Labor and other federal and state agencies.
If you believe you have an employment discrimination case or if you have an employee making a complaint, contact Becker Law Offices for an initial consultation.